Does trading for Mike Conley make sense for the Jazz?

After struggling earlier in the 2018-19 NBA season, the Utah Jazz are now back in the playoff race in the deep Western Conference. The Jazz have won nine of their last 10 games and are currently sitting in the No.7 spot in the Western Conference with a 29-22 record. If they become consistent with their performance and remain healthy throughout the season, the Jazz could enter the postseason for the third consecutive year.

However, if they are aiming to reach a higher level this season, the Jazz should consider addressing some of the issues on their roster before the February NBA trade deadline. As of now, one of the areas the Jazz need to improve is their offense which currently ranks the second-worst in the league, scoring 102.1 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN. To add firepower on their roster, Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report suggested that the Jazz may consider targeting Mike Conley of the Memphis Grizzlies.

After realizing that they don’t have the capability to contend for the NBA championship title, the Grizzlies have made their superstars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol officially available on the trading block. In any deal involving Conley and Gasol, the Grizzlies are reportedly seeking some combination of a young player, draft pick, and salary cap relief. However, according to Fromal, with Conley already on the downside of his career, the Grizzlies shouldn’t expect too much in return.

In the potential deal with the Jazz, Fromal believes that the trade package including Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors, and a protected 2019 first-round pick should be enough to convince the Grizzlies to send Mike Conley to Utah.

“Conley is still playing at a remarkably high level, overcoming his declining speed on the defensive end by protecting the basketball at all costs and still thriving as a shot-creating scorer. He checks in at No. 19 on ESPN.com’s RPM Wins leaderboard, and viewing his season as a failure solely because of Memphis’ disappointing record would be fallacious. But Father Time is relentless, and Conley is already 31 years old—the magical mark at which so many floor generals have begun precipitous drops over the years.”

If these are indeed the final days of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley in Memphis, the endgame for these two Grizzlies icons is not about titles – it’s about memories, and moments, and those they will leave behind. https://t.co/jvOXUPZXCrpic.twitter.com/O68KAkyzPl

Despite his age, Mike Conley will still be a great addition to the Jazz, giving them a reliable scoring option next to Donovan Mitchell. This season, the 31-year-old point guard is averaging 20.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.4 steals on 43.0 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Jazz wouldn’t mind absorbing Conley’s lucrative deal since they are not considered as a favorite destination for superstar free agents.